In recent year, optical disks such as laser disks or compact disks are used universally as a recording medium for audio or video signals. When a disk is to be stored or utilized, it is required to maintain the surface of the disk flat and to prevent the surface of the disk from being damaged or prevent dust or some other foreign articles from sticking to the surface of the disk.
Accordingly, when it is tried to insert a disk such as a laser disk into an accommodation case to store it or to set a disk in position into a deck for reproduction to utilize it, not only the disk must not be bent or curved, but also it is necessary to remove flaws formed on the surface of the disk or to remove dust sticking to the surface of the disk.
By the way, removal of flaws or dust on the surface of a disk such as a laser disk is conventionally performed by manual operation using cloth or some other suitable article. Since such operation requires much time and is cumbersome, satisfactory removal of flaws or dust is not performed.
If a disk is utilized while flaws remain on the surface thereof or dust remains sticking to the surface thereof, then it sometimes occurs that information read once is read again or information at a location is skipped and information at a next location is read. As a result, audio or video signals reproduced are disordered, and in the worst case, reproduction itself becomes impossible.